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Under the Same Sky: From Starvation in North Korea to Salvation in America
Under the Same Sky: From Starvation in North Korea to Salvation in America | Joseph Kim
7 posts | 7 read | 9 to read
Vital to our understanding of life in North Korea. "Washington Post" Powerful . . . Doesn t hold anything back. "Publishers Weekly, " starred review Inside the hidden and mysterious world of North Korea, Joseph Kim lived a young boy s normal life until he was five. Then disaster struck: the first wave of the Great Famine, a long, terrible ordeal that killed millions, including his father, and sent others, like his mother and only sister, on desperate escape routes into China. Alone on the streets, Joseph learned to beg and steal until finally, in desperation, he too crossed a frozen river to escape to China. A kindly Christian woman took him in and kept him hidden from the authorities. And through an underground network of activists, he was spirited to the American consulate, becoming one of just a handful of North Koreans to be brought to the United States as refugees. Joseph knew no English and had never been a good student. Yet the kindness of his foster family changed his life. He became a dedicated student, mastered English, and made it to college, where he is now thriving thanks to his faith and inner strength. "Under the Same Sky" is an unforgettable story of suffering and redemption. A remarkable tale . . . Vividly describes what Joseph Kim and millions of other North Koreans endured. "Christian Science Monitor" A courageous and inspiring memoir. "Kirkus Reviews" JOSEPH KIM was born in North Korea in 1990. In 2007 he came to the United States, where he completed high school. He is currently a college student in New York City. STEPHAN TALTY is the coauthor of several works of narrative nonfiction, including "Captain Phillips." Author photograph (c) Martin Bentsen "
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Clevercactus
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Pickpick

If you are feeling sorry for yourself because you suffer from first world problems, you need to read this book. It will shame away all of your self pity, and if it doesn't, please don't admit that in polite company. His dad starved to death, his mother sold his sister in China to be a sex slave, his mother also abandons him to live homeless by himself, he lived for a time in a detention center (think Lord of the Flies) And that's just the start..

review
Smrloomis
Pickpick

I realize that this will not be for everyone, but I found this to be very moving. After reading Barbara Demick's Nothing To Envy, I found this a welcome individual memoir of immense suffering and amazing survival. If you want to read something that will show the devastating effects of famine and the disintegration of family bonds on the individual, look no further.

Posemn Great review! North Korea is fascinating to me, probably because it is so closed. I'm going to add this to my very long TBR list. 8y
Smrloomis @Posemn thanks! I also really liked Nothing to Envy if you haven't read it already. 8y
34 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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Smrloomis
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I wish every student felt this way. #NorthKorea #education

39 likes2 stack adds
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Smrloomis

I think whenever I read about famine, I eat to compensate 😕

Smrloomis It's like I want to help the people in my book and I can't ☹️ 8y
MrBook You're doing what you can. 8y
Smrloomis @MrBook yeah, I think it's sympathy eating! 8y
23 likes3 comments
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Smrloomis
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Some backyard reading...

RealLifeReading Yum! That looks delicious! 8y
Smrloomis @RealLifeReading 😁 this is from a Hong Kong style bakery nearby 👍🏽 8y
MaryAnn1 Mmmmmm😋 8y
35 likes3 comments
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Smrloomis

Some backyard reading...

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Smrloomis
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Just got this at #SecretGardenBooks in #Seattle. Can't wait to start. #NorthKorea #independentbookstore